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If you watch TV or listen to the radio this week, you might find it odd that hardly is talking about the S**** B***. Yes, you will hear references to the “big game,” or the “NFL championship” (except on CBS, which is broadcasting the S**** B***). But you will hear no mention of sales on new TV on which you can watch the S**** B***, or advertising for anyone who is hosting a S**** B*** party.

The reason, of course, is that the NFL has decided to pursue with nose tackle-like force anyone who utters or writes the words “S**** B***®” without paying a licensing fee.

In the past, rabid NFL lawyers (or more specifically, four law firms it has unleashed) have gone after anyone – even churches who announced plans for an afternoon of fellowship while watching the S**** B*** game. In 2007, the NFL went so far as trying to usurp the words “big game” in a trademark claim – but fortunately that heavy-handed legal maneuver failed. (One other warning, from the over-lawyered league: if you are watching the S**** B*** on a screen that is larger than 55”, you may be in violation of the copyright claimed by the NFL.)

One irony is that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is married to a television news broadcaster. I wonder – when they’re conversing over dinner, whether he refers to it as the big game, the NFL championship, or the S**** B***?

Jay Sports big game, football, lawyers, NFL

A goal by Jonathan Bornstein late in extra time (the 95th minute) against Costa Rica sent the US to next year’s World Cup of soccer as CONCACAF champions. The dramatic goal by the US also guaranteed the nation of Honduras a berth in the World Cup for only the second time in that nation’s history. Click the buttom below to hear the play-by-play description on Honduran radio as the “Estados Unidos” score the equalizing goal against Costa Rica with only ten men on the field.

(In a related note, a jubilant Honduran president has invited Bornstein to come visit the Central American country.)

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Jay Sports Honduras, soccer, world cup

The sporting world witnessed a huge upset this week, at an event which drew widespread attention everywhere but in America. Which is surprising, since the victors were Americans.

The US Men’s National Soccer team beat Spain 2-0. Had Al Michaels been there, he would have asked if anyone still believed in miracles.

Spain is the top ranked soccer team on the planet, and had been undefeated in their last 35 matches. The US is perhaps the best team in North America.

The historic win occurred at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, a tune up to next year’s FIFA World Cup in that country. It followed an improbable advance to the semifinals by the US, which floundered in the opening games of the tournament. But in this game, the Americans played with exceptional determination. and defeated the soccer equivalent of Goliath to earn a place in Sunday’s final against Brazil.

Given soccer’s second class status among sports in America, it was nice to see ESPN show highlights of the match on Sports Center. Local sportscasts and the newspapers gave it a mention. But look at the headlines from other countries:

India's Hindustan Times

From the Clarin in Argentina: “The United States shocks the world of football and takes down Spain”

From El Mundo in Spain: “The US destroys the Spanish legend”

From Sky Sports in England: “USA stuns Spain to make the final”

From the Daily Star in England: “It’s S-pain as Yanks spank ‘em”

From the Gazeta in Brazil: “The miracle workers from the US appear once again and eliminate ‘The Fury’”

From the Dominion Post in New Zealand: “Utterly Stunning Ascent”

From the Bangkok Post in Thailand: “US celebrate huge victory over Spain”

Clearly the US victory was a huge, huge story in the rest of the world. Not so much so in the US.

Jay Sports Confederations Cup, soccer, Spain, US soccer

They were two stories on opposite ends of the Argus Leader newspaper. One was below the fold, the other in a side banner. Connect the two, and you have an outrage.

The first story was about cutbacks at the University of Sioux Falls. The article said eleven to 16 staff members would be dismissed immediately; four to eight faculty members will leave at the end of the term. Those who keep their jobs will see an immediate nine percent pay cut.

The other story was picked up off the AP wire, headlined “Ferentz gets seven-year extension to coach Iowa.” Curious about why any college coach in today’s economy would be given a seven year contract for anything, I read on. The story said Kirk Ferentz would receive the same salary and bonus structures as his previous contract, which this year rewarded him with a salary of $2.84 million.

I am a big sports fan, but I also believe in a quality education. Students at the University of Sioux Falls, a good school with a solid reputation, will lose professors to save $2.2 million. At the University of Iowa, slightly more than that will be spent to keep a football coach.

Why does this happen? The University of Sioux Falls is a private college, with a president who needs to make cuts to meet a budget. The athletic director at Iowa, Gary Barta, gets to play with other peoples’ money. Specifically, the taxpayers of Iowa ultimately guarantee costs of the football program at the public university. The Hawkeyes must figure Iowans have money to burn – if it means a decent football team.

I realize that Iowa’s unemployment rate is only 3.6%. But I doubt that the 60,900 jobless people in Iowa will be sending Ferentz congratulations on his new deal. Barta said Ferentz has “proven himself to be a winner.” At Iowa, a winner is defined as 70-53 in ten seasons.

Jay Sports football, Iowa, job cuts, university

I had no intention of watching the Super Bowl® game, because I had some projects to do around the house and, frankly, I had no dog in the fight. I don’t much care about the Cardinals or Steelers. But I did watch part of the pregame show, and here are three people that made an impression on me:

1) Tony Dungy. I lived in Minnesota when Tony was the quarterback at Minnesota, and was surprised when he began his professional career on defense. Although most people know him for his champtionship ring, Dungy has had some difficult moments in his life, most notably the suicide of his son. But his new passion for helping young people is nothing short of impressive. He just released a new book (Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance), and it atop of my list of future-reads. His comments about Larry Fitzgerald show what a star performer and star person Dungy is – a great role model.

2) Bob Costas. The Chicago Cubs’ icon Harry Caray always called Costas the “best young broadcaster in the business.” It couldn’t have been that long ago, was it? Costas is now clearly one of the best in the business – period. One thing that stood out for me during the pregame show was not only how smooth Costas is, but how he dealt with a set crowded with five people holding microphones. Maybe you have to be a broadcaster to appreciate this, but Costas was able to involve them all and make them all look good. Not many sportscasters/studio hosts can do that.

3) President Obama. Say what you want about his politics, but he was incredibly charming and engaging during his interview. Unlike previous presidents, who got all wishy-washy when asked to predict the big game, Obama unflinchingly said he was pulling for the Steelers. Of course, Steelers owner Dan Rooney had endorsed Obama, while Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell is a staunch Republican. But beyond that, Obama seemed very sincere when answering Matt Lauer’s wide range of questions. It almost felt like Obama was sitting there watching the pregame show with you. The interview was a definite winner for the new president.

By the way: If you need to pick up some home improvement materials, go to the hardware store during the Super Bowl. You will have the place to yourself.

Jay Sports NFL football, Super Bowl, television, Tony Dungy

During a previous life as a sportscaster, I spent a fair amount of time at NFL games. One of my vivid memories of those occasions was how slow and boring the games could become for ticket holders, because during frequent TV commercial timeouts, those in attendance had nothing to watch for several minutes at a time.

Fast-forward twenty years, and the commercial load during NFL games has reached an even more ridiculous level. During the first quarter of Sunday’s playoff game between the Vikings and Eagles, there was one period where one play was followed by a commercial break, followed by two plays and one more commercial break, and one more play followed by one more commercial break. Four plays, three breaks. I’m sure those who paid $80, $120, or $160 per ticket inside the Metrodome were thrilled to sit through that.

With one minute left in the third quarter – and with my interest in the game waning – I documented a similar chronology:

Fumble, 1:50 commercial break

Incomplete pass, 1:40 commercial break

Running play, 1:50 end-of-quarter commercial break

Incomplete pass, punt, 1:40 commercial break

During that sequence, the clock inside the stadium said that one minute and 22 seconds of the game had elapsed. The clock in my TV room said that 13 minutes of my life had elapsed.

I know what you’re saying: “Commercials pay the freight so TV viewers can watch the games for free.” Consider those Thursday night games carried on the NFL Network, a cable channel you have to pay money to watch. They have excessive commercials during those games, too.

Jay Sports commercials, NFL football, TV timeout